Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images. Pictured: Hideki Matsuyama.
Moving day at The Masters wasn’t without added drama from Mother Nature, but Hideki Matsuyama still managed to deliver the first bogey-free round of the tournament at Augusta National.
Matsuyama finished the round 7-under par and 11-under for the tournament, leapfrogging 36-hole leader Justin Rose, who now sits with four other players tied for second at 7-under (Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman and Will Zalatoris).
Entering Round 3, the Japanese golfer was available at +1600 to win the tournament, well behind betting favorite Jordan Spieth (+400).
Matsuyama hasn’t won on TOUR since 2017, but at -120 he’s the odds-on favorite to get that monkey off his back. He has five career PGA TOUR wins — the Waste Management Open twice (2016 & 2017), two WGCs (2016 & 2017), and The Memorial (2014). So he’s won in high-pressure situations at big tournaments before.
It’s been a bit of a lackluster season so far for Matsuyama, who hasn’t finished better than 15th in 2021 and missed the cut at THE PLAYERS and the Genesis Invitational. The story is the same — he’s lost strokes putting in 21 of 29 tournaments since the start of last year, and gained strokes on approach in 23 of 29.
Matsuyama isn’t typically a player associated with ultra-strong course history at Augusta National, but has 10 straight-rounds under par and five top 20 finishes at the Masters in the last six years. The ball-striking wizard was also low amateur at the 2011 tournament as a 19-year-old.
Schauffele is the next closest (+450) after firing a 4-under 68 to move up the leaderboard. Also lurking at -7 are Justin Rose, who has played two straight even-par rounds after opening at -7, Will Zalatoris in his debut, and Marc Leishman, who has also turned in some strong performances at Augusta with three top-15 finishes since 2013.
Here are the updated betting odds (via DraftKings) as we head into Sunday at Augusta National:
Updated 2021 Masters Odds
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| Player | Score | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Hideki Matsuyama | -11 | -120 |
| Xander Schauffele | -7 | +450 |
| Justin Rose | -7 | +1000 |
| Will Zalatoris | -7 | +1000 |
| Marc Leishman | -7 | +1200 |
| Corey Conners | -6 | +1600 |
| Jordan Spieth | -5 | +1600 |
| Tony Finau | -3 | +10000 |
| Brian Harman | -4 | +10000 |
| Justin Thomas | -1 | +20000 |
| Viktor Hovland | -1 | +35000 |
| Patrick Reed | -1 | +35000 |
| Cameron Smith | -1 | +35000 |
| Si Woo Kim | -2 | +35000 |
| Jon Rahm | E | +50000 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | -2 | +50000 |
| Robert MacIntyre | -2 | +50000 |
| Kevin Na | -1 | +75000 |
| Joaquin Niemann | E | +75000 |
| Ryan Palmer | -1 | +75000 |
| Scottie Scheffler | E | +75000 |
| Webb Simpson | E | +75000 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +2 | +100000 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | +1 | +100000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +1 | +100000 |